Lacing device



Ange 5F W. A. SOWERS LAcINq DEVICE Filed July 10 fwi pssasl Patented Aug. 5, 1924.

WILLIAM A. sow-Ens, or AKRON, OHIO.

LACING DEVICE.

Application filed July 10, 1923. Serial No. 650,614.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that WILLIAM A. Sownns, citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lacing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to lacing devices for apparel, and particularly for shoe closures. The primary object of the invention is to provide a shoe lacing device by means of which the lacing and unlacing of shoes may be facilitated, and in the use of which, no portion of the lace is required to be removed from the eyelets of the shoe.

With the above general objects in view, and others that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the two views,

Figure 1 is a; plan view of a lacing device constructed in accordance with the present invention, partly bro-ken away, and

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevational View showing the lacing device of Figure 1 operatively connecting opposed edges of a shoe upper.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the present invention embodies a lacing device composed of a main lacing string 5 having the opposite ends thereof provided with tips 6 for facilitating threading of the same through the eyelets 7 of the shoe, a pair of auxiliary lacing strings 8 and 9 being attached to the central portion of the laein string 5 in slightly spaced relation and having their outer ends provided with tips 10, if found desirable.

The lacing strings 5, 8 and 9 may be formed of any suitable material now employed in the manufacture of ordinary laces, and the lacing strings 8 and 9 are preferably connected with the string 5 so as to normally extend at right angles to the latter as shown in Figure l, the distance between the lacing strings 8 and 9 being substantially equal to the distance between the adjacent edges of the shoe closure before the latter is tightened.

In the use of the lacing device, the ends of the lacing string 5 are laced through the eyelets of the shoe so that each end of the lacing string 5 provides a series of loops 11 at each side of the closure, which loops extend inwardly by passing the lacing strings through one eyelet then inwardly and around the adjacent edge of the shoe closure and through the next succeeding eyelet. The points of connection between the lacing strings 8 and 9 and the lacing string 5 will thus lie between the two lowermost eyelets at each side of the shoe so that the lacing strings 8 and 9 may be laced through the loops 11 alternately from one side of the shoe closure to the other in the usual manner practiced with the ordinary lace now in use when passing the same through the eyelets. The ends of the lacing string 5 are preferably suitably tied in the next to the top eyelets indicated at 12, While the lacing strings 8 and 9 are passed through the last two eyelets at the top of the shoe and preferably connected by a double bow knot 13 with the adjacent ends of the string 5.

The shoe may be laced expeditiously and tightly by means of this construction as the lacing strings 8 and9 will slip easily through the loops 11 of the lacing string 5, and because it is only necessary to grasp the lacing strings 8 and 9 at a point substantially midway between the ends of the rows of eyelets and then pull the same downwardly, after which the tops of the shoe flaps may be pulled apart for readily loosning the lacing and. permitting the shoe to be removed.

Having thus described my invention, what secure by shoe and in the form of successive loops disposed about the edge portion of the upper and string sections continuously joined with the said string at points spaced from each other'and approximately at equal distances from a point located midway between the ends of the string, said string sections adapted to be threaded through" the loops of the string at the respective side portions of the upper and adapted toserve as means for tightening the loops whereby the opposite side portions of the shoe upper maybe drawn toward each other, the string sections and the end portions of the strings being of such relative length that they may be tied together at the top of the upper in theform of'a knot when the lace is applied and the loops are tightened.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM SOWERS. 

